Social Instincts
Instincts are those things we know how to do without having to be taught to do them. They are embedded in our DNA forged over the course evolution to be passed on to perpetuate the life of the species. The thing is we humans have more learned behavior than we do instincts and the instincts we do have may surprise you.
Every animal that exists in the world today is operating in exactly the same fashion that it did when it first came t be that animal. Not so for us humans. We humans are the only species found at every corner of the globe in every climate and geographical condition. The only other animal that comes close to having ability to adapt and survive in a variety of conditions and climates is the rat.
Unlike the rat we do not only survive, we thrive. We transcend. As great as a lion is, a lion has no choice but to be a lion. It can not sit back on the savanna and on day ponder about life as a polar bear. It can't devise a way for the zebra to deliver itself to them to save them energy and effort. It can only do what it's program, it's instincts, tell it to do.
Humans are the only species that pursue secondary needs more than our primary needs. We have more motivation to get the latest iPhone than to create a healthier lifestyle. How we get food and water has changed throughout our evolutionary history and we seldom if ever use sex for its stated purpose of perpetuation of the species.
What we are wired for is connection. It's why we are more emotional and irrational than not because that is our social glue. As a social species we bond to one another through our common ability to form emotional bonds which we are all hard wired for. Although we are prewired for social cohesion, how it manifests is different as evidenced from the many different cultures that exist today. Babies upon being born seek out faces and eyes. The nerve receptors on our face and arms are more sensitive than any other part of our body to promote touching and grooming one another and the stimulation of these nerves causes us to produce oxytocin and dopamine.
We are all prewired for language but we get wired differently speaking a different language. Language is the necessary adhesive for us to enhance our social matrices. Our emotional concepts are tied to our culture and respective languages. We all experience the same emotions under different circumstances and express them differently but we connect through them.
The size of our pre frontal cortex correlates to the size of the groups we can effectively be a part of. For humans it's about 150 people, for the chimpanzee our distant cousin it is 10 chimps. Our vast social repertoire is largely innate but still requires us to practice to develop its capability to its fullest potential. Just because we have the capability does not mean we have the actual ability.
Every animal that exists in the world today is operating in exactly the same fashion that it did when it first came t be that animal. Not so for us humans. We humans are the only species found at every corner of the globe in every climate and geographical condition. The only other animal that comes close to having ability to adapt and survive in a variety of conditions and climates is the rat.
Unlike the rat we do not only survive, we thrive. We transcend. As great as a lion is, a lion has no choice but to be a lion. It can not sit back on the savanna and on day ponder about life as a polar bear. It can't devise a way for the zebra to deliver itself to them to save them energy and effort. It can only do what it's program, it's instincts, tell it to do.
Humans are the only species that pursue secondary needs more than our primary needs. We have more motivation to get the latest iPhone than to create a healthier lifestyle. How we get food and water has changed throughout our evolutionary history and we seldom if ever use sex for its stated purpose of perpetuation of the species.
What we are wired for is connection. It's why we are more emotional and irrational than not because that is our social glue. As a social species we bond to one another through our common ability to form emotional bonds which we are all hard wired for. Although we are prewired for social cohesion, how it manifests is different as evidenced from the many different cultures that exist today. Babies upon being born seek out faces and eyes. The nerve receptors on our face and arms are more sensitive than any other part of our body to promote touching and grooming one another and the stimulation of these nerves causes us to produce oxytocin and dopamine.
We are all prewired for language but we get wired differently speaking a different language. Language is the necessary adhesive for us to enhance our social matrices. Our emotional concepts are tied to our culture and respective languages. We all experience the same emotions under different circumstances and express them differently but we connect through them.
The size of our pre frontal cortex correlates to the size of the groups we can effectively be a part of. For humans it's about 150 people, for the chimpanzee our distant cousin it is 10 chimps. Our vast social repertoire is largely innate but still requires us to practice to develop its capability to its fullest potential. Just because we have the capability does not mean we have the actual ability.
Comments
Post a Comment